A formal complaint with the California ABC has been filed over sidewalk signs promoting alcohol sales
A formal complaint was filed at the Lakewood Field Office of the State of
California Bureau of Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) against the Los Altos Taco Beach aka Taco Beach Bellflower at 2099 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach in the Los Altos Center Adjacent Neighborhood.
The formal complaint was filed after another incident were one
of the businesses growing sidewalk signs (they now number 3) outside the Los Altos Taco
Beach was "advertising, promoting and indicating the availability of alcoholic beverage".
There are 11 conditions for the Conditional License. The ABC restrictions were agreed to by Taco Beach Owner Kevan Vance, and by the over 45 License Protesters, as a condition of their withdrawal of the
Protest of the Taco Beach application for a license and as conditions for granting Conditional License #47-52489677 to Taco Beach.
Condition #3 of the license restrictions clearly states:
"3. There shall be no exterior
advertising or sign of any kind or type, including advertising directed to the
exterior from within, promoting or indicating the availability of alcoholic
beverages."
This is the second time a sign
advertising and promoting the availability
of alcohol inside the License Type 47 (restaurant) establishment.
The first documented case of exterior sign advertisement
of alcoholic beverages at Taco
Beach was on Wednesday August 21st, 2013 On that day a chalkboard sign (that for a
week had been used as an "OPEN" sign and to advertise "TACO TUESDAY") was converted to advertising
alcohol available inside, complete with a drawing of a cocktail.
The advertising sign was placed on the
busy corner of Bellflower Blvd.
and Abbeyfield. The writing on the sign is "HOLA Come in and try a Taco and Margarita".
On September 11, another sign advertising Thursday night football also
advertised the times of Taco
Beach "Happy
Hour" - starting at 3 pm in the afternoon.
When Taco
Beach owner Kevan Vance
first applied for a liquor license until 2 am every night, neighbors addressed their
many concerns with 4th District Councilman Patrick O'Donnell. One concern was the fact that school
children use Abbeyfield as the entrance to
the neighborhood.
Neighbors were concerned that the downtown Taco Beach
"Happy Hour" times in a
residential neighborhood would be promoting cheap alcohol at the prime time when
school children are returning home from school and passing the driveway and parking lot of Taco Beach at the busy corner of Abbeyfield and Bellflower.
With the Los Altos Taco Beach "restaurant" now
promoting cheap alcohol right when school gets out - and only on school days- (their
Happy Hour is only Monday-Friday) and right
at the time students are returning home into their neighborhood and outside
playing- the worst fears of the Los Altos Center Adjacent Neighborhoods have
come to pass- a full liquor bar serving cheap drinks at the entrance to a residential neighborhood filled with school aged children.
After continuing to point out the numerous violations of the Long Beach CUP and the California ABC restrictions to the owner and manager, Los Altos Center Adjacent Neighborhood leaders are now willing to take their formal protests beyond the local office and go to the district offices of the ABC in Cerritos, or the state ABC headquarters to insure the safety and peaceful enjoyment of their residential neighborhood.
The meaning of "Happy Hour"
is well known, not ambiguous and directly relates to specials on alcohol:
Happy hour
From Wikipedia, the
free encyclopedia
Typically, it is in the late afternoon Monday
through Thursday, usually taking place at some period between 4 PM and 8 PM.
Many bars also have a late night happy hour for afternoon shift workers from 10
PM-1 AM. This promotion is intended to boost business on what may otherwise be
a slow day. In most cases the "happy hour" lasts longer than a single
hour.
The term also is commonly used to describe the
gathering of work colleagues at a restaurant or bar after work hours, possibly
outside the usual period.[citation
needed] or vice versa.
The specifics usually differ from country to
country. In some European countries like the Netherlands, the price of an
alcoholic drink is regulated, and selling them at half price is prohibited.
During happy hour, a customer gets double the amount of drinks instead. In Italy, a
customer often pays the same price or even more for the drink but is offered
free fingerfoods. In the United
States it typically entails finger foods and
discounted drinks.
Happy hour can also be referred to as the
period prior to dinner, where appetizers and drinks are served at one's home.